Everyone loves a good sandwich, it’s that perfect, filling, convenience food – just grab and go! While you could always head off to Subway to get your sandwich fix (for vegans it’s usually a pretty boring option), there’s plenty of interesting combinations you can make at home.

GAIA is Sri Lanka’s first natural, organic and safest baby care range that was created in the kitchen of a mother whose child had eczema. Present in 23 countries, this award winning Australian brand is prepared to provide mothers with the safest and most natural baby care products.

Sri Lankan girlfriends are the ultimate ‘lunu dehi’ – they’re hard to eat and need to be taken in smaller doses with a lot of other things to cut the acidity. The good kind is harder to get a hold of, but you know how amazing your plate of rice tastes with it. The same applies to Sri Lankan girlfriends. This week we pay homage to Sri Lankan girlfriends who seem to master the art of driving their boyfriends loco with carefully concocted ploys like

Whether you’re an occasional selfie-snapper or an obsessive-life-documenting-selfie king/queen, you would know that there is an abundance of smartphones in the market in all ranges at the moment to cater your needs.

An average Sri Lankan family consists of parents, children, grandparents, the odd cousin whom you’re not sure how you’re related to and plenty of aunties. They can be relatives of your parents, a distant cousin who is too old to be called by name, or a neighbour who frequents your home so much so that she knows where your mother hides the expensive gold bangles and passports.

The grand finale of Crown Miss Intercontinental Sri Lanka (MISL) 2017 pulled off in style as Natalie Fernando walked away with the coveted title. The pageant commenced with a National Costume parade designed by 16 emerging designers and all designs were inspired by local elements.

The dots certainly connected when Tedx Colombo took the stage on the 17th of September 2017 at Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapakse Theatre. With over a thousand people in the audience and thousands more live streaming it had a fantastic atmosphere. It certainly was the place to be on a rainy Sunday evening. It began with Koshal Krishnakumar welcoming the audience.

The 20th anniversary concert of the Old Joes’ Choir, ’Evolution: The Journey’ will be held on the 23 & 24 September at the Lionel Wendt from 7.30pm onwards. The year 2017 marks the 20th Anniversary of The Old Joes’ Choir (OJC

The grand finale of Siyatha Miss World Sri Lanka 2017 took place and a fresh beauty was crowned. Dusheni Miyurangi De Silva, the winner of this year’s pageant walked away with a Rs. 19 million worth coloured-stone crown designed by Raja Jewellers. Dusheni will represent Sri Lanka at the Miss World Pageant which will be held in China this year.

The grand finale of Siyatha Miss World Sri Lanka 2017 took place and a fresh beauty was crowned. Dusheni Miyurangi De Silva, the winner of this year’s pageant walked away with a Rs. 19 million worth coloured-stone crown designed by Raja Jewellers. Dusheni will represent Sri Lanka at the Miss World Pageant which will be held in China this year.

Set amidst a scenic backdrop of a verdant jungle, a soaring mountain and the Siyambalawewa lake which reflects nature in all its glory is the Jetwing Lake, one of the newest resorts to open its doors in Dambulla. One of the cornerstones that forms the cultural triangle Dambulla is a magnet for visiting tourists due to its close proximity to Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, and of course Sigiriya which is virtually on the doorstep of Dambulla.

With the rapid phase of development in Sri Lanka, its landscape too is changing at a similar pace. As a result, people started encroaching natural habitats, displacing the animals. While the Human Elephant conflict and many other matters are at hand, wildlife activists and enthusiasts are battling to protect these species.

Architectural splendor in Georgetown, Penang

Penang is a melting pot of cultures, cuisine and art. In the last of a series of articles on Georgetown, this final installment of this UNESCO World Heritage Site is all about the fabulous architecture that abounds in this place that appears as if time has stood still.

Georgetown is an area that is full of character, thanks in part to its inhabitants and also the to the colonial buildings of significant civic, religious and shop house buildings that date from the 18th century of British settlement. Heritage is fast becoming a crucial tourism product and the abundance of historic buildings in Georgetown lends it and authentic flavour.

With a warren of streets that all interlink with each other, it is safe to say that you would need at least two full days to explore Georgetown in its entirety (unless of course you are an ambler like me; then throw in an extra two days to discover this fascinating heritage site).

Temples, churches and kovils intermingle with each other in this enclave. Beautiful, intricately built temples serve as a dramatic background to spacious courtyards. Life revolves around the spiritual beliefs, elaborate customs and desire to prosper by trading and amassing wealth. The beauty of the carvings came by importing Chinese artisans to come and work in Georgetown itself.

The shophouses in Georgetown add to the beauty. The features and styles of these shophouses have evolved over the years. They began as simple shophouses with cheap attap roofs and wooden structures but with the passage of time respective owners have invested time and money and built them in to more elaborate structures with the design, details and effort to beautify the façade going well over the top in some instances. The elaborateness and beauty of the shophouses was a testament to the affluence of its owner. One unifying design factor is that all the shophouses are very narrow, with a width of 5 metres. This is attributed to the fact that the shophouses were built following a design from Holland. In Malacca where the Dutch flexed its muscles for over two centuries, the shophouses were taxed according to the width of its front elevation. Therefore smart landlords built their property to minimize the tax. Since the length of the building was not taxed, some of these shophouses were over 30 metres long.

One of the most beautiful residences in Georgetown is Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion also known as the Blue Mansion - one of the best success stories of full scale restoration. Now a hotel, museum and a venue for private society functions, this home is an architectural masterpiece where elements of the East and West have combined harmoniously. The house was built so that nine generation of Cheong Fatt Tze’s descendants would live there. Prosperous Feng Shui elements are incorporated along with stained glass and gilded Victorian cast iron works for the balustrade ordered from Europe while Chinese artisan labored to make it a work of are combing hard work with skillful labour.

Walking along this maze of streets the beautiful wrought ironwork and mosaic tiling were particularly beautiful. Old doorways were ornately decorated while the older houses and a lot of intricate decoration done in both iron and tiles. The inhabitants of Georgetown are not shy of expressing their artistic side as some of the facades of their homes were painted in the most vibrant of hues. From shades of cochineal to bright turquoise to sunflower yellow, many of the buildings injected an air of happiness to the surroundings by using such bright colours. There are several maps available at the hotels to help you discover Georgetown but what I found worked best for me was to just set off and follow your feet, that way you will discover many hidden gems off the beaten track in Georgetown, a quaint town bursting with character.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tina Edward Gunawardhana is a journalist specialising in travel, lifestyle, cuisine and personalities. She is also the features writer for Hi!! Magazine. An intrepid traveller, she likes to show readers the world through her eyes and experiences.
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tinajourno@gmail.com